If you’re looking for evidence of how Ripon’s state-of-the-art video surveillance systems has affected crime, you won’t find it in the city’s crime statistics.
Recently released numbers show crime hasn’t taken a drastic hit since the cameras were installed in 2005. Overall, major crimes have risen slightly.
But Police Chief Richard Bull says the $500,000 camera system was well worth the investment. Ripon’s population has jumped about 30 percent since 2003, but its major crimes climbed only 4 percent during that period. By comparison, as Patterson’s population swelled 54 percent, major crimes rose 32 percent.